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India dumps Iran, squeezes Obama
India has taken a decision to reduce oil imports from Iran, and the Barack
Obama administration will be delighted that its sustained diplomatic and
political pressure on India is finally bearing fruit. Yet, the big question
remains: What is it that Delhi hopes to extract from the United States in
return for its momentous decision to comply with the US's Iran sanctions? - M K
Bhadrakumar (May 16, '12)
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US punishes Iran for
Palestinian resistance
1983 in Beirut: Islamic Jihad claims responsibility as 241 American servicemen
are killed by a suicide bomber. 2007 in a United States federal court: a judge
rules that Iran should pay $2.65 billion to families of the victims. With the
Islamic Jihad lacking substantial amounts of money in US and European banks,
nobody alive to sit in the dock, and 24 years after the event, Iran proved an
easy target to exact retribution.
- Ardeshir Ommani (May 16, '12)
 THE
ROVING EYE
Will 'Onshela' save Europe?
German Christian Democrat Chancellor Angela Merkel will say nein to
French Socialist President Francois Hollande's vision of a Europe true to its
construction - less technocratic, less hostage to the market and less
constrained by the financial system. This would require a betrayal of the
foundations of the German miracle, and an admission that Europe's economies are
controlled by a cartel of bankers.
- Pepe Escobar (May 16, '12)
China's suicide bomber: Hero or
heroine?
For 24 hours, China had its first female suicide bomber, with the story of her
protest against illegal land grabs going viral as bloggers dismissed the
carnage and hailed a modern-day "heroine" for the rights of common people. A
day later, state media said the perpetrator was male and hell-bent against
society. That facts can change so dramatically overnight underlines two
disturbing truths about China.
- Kent Ewing (May 16, '12)
Seoul resists nuclear shutdown
pressure
As Japan shuts down its last nuclear plants following last year's Fukushima
disaster, South Korea is forging ahead with plans to build new reactors and
extend the lifespan of existing facilities. Though leaders say the country has
no viable alternatives, public pressure to follow Tokyo's lead has intensified
following a series of safety scares. - Steven Borowiec
(May 16, '12)
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COMMENT
Arab autocrats aiding terrorism
Arab regimes in Syria, Bahrain and elsewhere are contributing to a resurgence
of terrorism by repressing popular revolts and cooperating in the fight against
terror only to preserve their rule. Washington and other Western capitals
should make it clear to the remaining Arab dictators, in word and in deed, that
the game is up.
- Emile Nakhleh (May 16, '12)
Cartoon prompts severe loss of
humor
India's government has withdrawn a 63-year-old cartoon from a political science
textbook that depicts chief architect of the Indian constitution, D Bhimrao
Ambedkar, riding a snail and being urged on with a whip by India's first
premier, Jawaharlal Nehru. Capitulating to concerns the image is too derogatory
to ensure vote banks, many of today's leaders seem shadows of their tolerant,
trailblazing predecessors. - Neeta Lal (May
16, '12)
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SPEAKING FREELY
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helping to keep ATol fresh and important to our global readership.
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Middle East calm in the eye of a
storm
An "interim" agreement in the West's nuclear talks with Iran and the entrance
of less hawkish elements into Israel's government offer a rare glimpse of clear
skies in the Middle East. However, the promise of peace is burdened by the
reality that Tehran's nuclear ambitions are only one facet of its pursuit for
regional dominance, and the fact that Tel Aviv would almost certainly rely on
surprise when timing a strike on Iran. - Victor Kotsev
(May 15, '12)
ALL CHANGE IN FRANCE ...
China takes on new importance
New French President Francois Hollande faces daunting eurozone challenges, but
is clearly focusing on opening a new chapter in relations with China, the 21st
century's most important factor of change, to define his presidency. In his bid
to strengthen cooperation independently of the United States, and to end the
mistrust that characterized ties under Nicolas Sarkozy, Hollande is off to a
good start.
- David Gosset (May 15, '12)
Tehran seeks to reset relations
Former French prime minister Michel Rocard's high-profile meeting in Iran with
top officials and lawmakers has raised eyebrows in the United States and
Israel, which are concerned that Paris may no longer toe Washington's line,
especially with regard to the nuclear talks on Iran that are reaching a pivotal
moment.
- Kaveh L Afrasiabi (May 15, '12)
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Iran nuclear talks primed for
failure
Infighting and overconfidence, tendencies that could sink any chance of ending
the impasse over Iran's nuclear program, are on full display in the capitals of
Iran and the United States as attention turns to crucial international talks in
Baghdad. In Tehran, tensions between Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President
Mahmud Ahmadinejad are muddying the outcome, while miscalculation in Washington
could prove calamitous. - Hooshang Amirahmadi and Shahir Shahid Saless
(May 15, '12)
China's fishermen charge enemy lines
Crew of Chinese fishing vessels increasingly embroiled in South China Sea
confrontations are portrayed by Beijing as brave defenders of territorial
rights, but rival claimants see their actions as low-intensity warfare. While
some critics believe these boats are on secret military missions, others think
they provoke in the safe knowledge Beijing will compensate them generously. - Jens
Kastner (May 15, '12)
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Bacterial magnets and the
bio-computer era
Scientists plan to use the billions of years of evolution in the machinery of
living beings to create nature-based super technologies, with tiny bacterial
creatures that generate magnetic crystals potentially set to revolutionize
medicine, computing and astronomy. - Raja Murthy
(May 15, '12)
US drops plan for Pakistan
border jobs
The United States appears to have dropped a plan to help set up factories in
Pakistan's tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan, aimed at creating
employment in areas where a lack of jobs means more idle time for potential
young extremists. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider (May
15, '12)
 CHAN
AKYA
The Blonde Pimpernel
Boris Johnson, the blonde, unruly and newly re-elected mayor of London, may
well be the closest thing to a political voice in Europe who is unafraid of
stating obvious necessities to cut government spending, roll back Keynesian
policies and let the markets do their work. Johnson goes against the European zeitgeist
and, should he so choose, has the opportunity to be the modern day Pimpernel. -
(May 14, '12)
The sea rises in China
Chinese pot-shots at the Philippines over the Scarborough Shoal stand-off
reveal that the former's nationalism sometimes reflects a desire to prevent
past humiliations rather than expansionism. While sensitive to the public's
angry demands over integrity and security, Beijing knows mutually beneficial,
face-saving measures can be taken to exploit South China Sea resources while
avoiding a war no one will win. - Brendan O'Reilly
(May 14, '12)
 SPENGLER
Zombies remind us
that death is social
The improbable and growing popularity of zombie movies is indicative that amid
the weakening of the foundations of tradition and culture, our lives and deaths
have no meaning. We have dismissed the Jewish and Christian hope of eternal
life as superstition offensive to reason, and find ourselves trapped in a
recurring nightmare. The more we try to ignore death, the more it fascinates
us. - (May 14, '12)
The anatomy of Chen's change of heart
Barack Obama might well be relieved that China is willing to help Chen
Guangcheng leave for the United States. After a hastily arranged deal for Chen
to stay in China collapsed amid the rights activist's doubts about his safety,
the American president had much political capital to lose. Dissect events as
the US played fast and loose and it is clear why Chen wanted no part in what
would have been a facinating experiment in the two powers' engagement. - Peter
Lee (May 11, '12)
THE ROVING EYE
Long live 'our' Gulf bastards
Just as the Sunni al-Khalifa dynasty in Bahrain is vowing to keep arresting,
tear-gassing, raiding their homes, confiscating their jobs and forcing
pro-democracy protesters to live in fear, Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin
Hamad al-Khalifa is being hosted in Washington. The simple reason is, he's one
of "our" bastards. - Pepe Escobar (May 11,
'12)
 BOOK
REVIEW
Mainstream political science
masks Western clientelism
The Rise and Fall of Arab Presidents For Life
by Roger Owen
This study of repressive modes of governance in the Arab Middle East falls flat
due to a failure to examine the West's historical role in perpetuating those
authoritarian regimes. By whitewashing the legacy of interventionism, such
works prevent a better understanding of how clientelism delayed democratization
from below and kept the region a "subordinate sub-system" in global politics.
- Kaveh L Afrasiabi (May 11, '12)
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A
capitalist class emerges in Myanmar
Myanmar is widely portrayed as an impoverished but resource rich country ripe
with opportunity for outsiders. Yet new arrivals will discover home-grown
business families well placed to provide the foundation of a future capitalist
class - and stand as a bulwark against the privileges of the military-linked
elite. - William Barnes
Anti-China mood threatens
push
for Kyrgyz railway link
Kyrgyzstan's President Almazbek Atambaev is pushing to secure construction of a
long-touted railway running through his country and linking China to
Uzbekistan. He has little to offer Beijing, yet even that might be too much for
local Sinophobic groups, whoever their paymasters might be. - Fozil Mashrab
Kazakh copper strike
not the end of the matter
The swift and peaceful end to a strike at Kazakhstan's largest copper mining
company demonstrates that lessons were learned from last year's violent oil
workers' clashes at Zhanaozen. Yet both disputes indicate the absence of a
comprehensive development program for the country's key industries. - Margarita
Assenova
Sri Lankan rice farmers
buffeted
by flood, drought
Sri Lanka's rice farmers and their harvests have recently struggled to survive
floods, quickly followed by drought. Even amid prospects of improved harvests
this year, they are being encouraged to adapt to new and extreme weather
patterns. - Amantha Perera
CREDIT BUBBLE BULLETIN
Tighter days ahead
JPMorgan's self-flagellation over its US$2 billion loss obscures the fact this
amounts to a "rounding error". More important, it indicates that writing credit
and market risk insurance has again become a risky proposition - with attendant
tightening of financial conditions.
Doug Noland looks at the previous week's events each Monday.
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Tokyo's
high-wire Uighur act
The hosting of the annual World Uighur Congress in Tokyo is intended to provoke
Beijing. Unsurprisingly, Beijing promptly hit out, expressing "strong
dissatisfaction" over the Japanese move. - M K Bhadrakumar
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[Re Student
loans fail usury test, May 15, '12] America is on the road taken by
Pakistan which allocates two percent of its budget to education. Little wonder
poverty and extremism go hand in hand there.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam
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